


Forever Now & Always

by i_write_shakespeare_not_disney



Series: Angsty/Fluffy/Smutty Klance One Shots from Tumblr [19]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Klance Week, M/M, Post-Canon, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-20 17:08:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18996922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_write_shakespeare_not_disney/pseuds/i_write_shakespeare_not_disney
Summary: After five years of visiting going back and forth between the humanitarian group in the universe and his family on Earth, Keith returns to find out Lance is getting married. Instead of rejoicing, Keith is left confused seeing as the two had  become closer over the years. Keith reminisces on various moments of the past as he tries to make sense of the events and come to terms with them. But there's still a part of him that is just as impulsive as when he was a teenager.





	Forever Now & Always

**Author's Note:**

> A huge HUGE thanks and dedication tbh to @its-me-thats-who on tumblr who read over and edited this piece. They also gave me a love of feedback and help when I was super close to erasing the whole thing. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it! Please please PLEASE leave a comment they make my day and I will reply to all of them!! ♡
> 
> Inspired by Speak Now by Taylor Swift but then it took a life of its own.

If someone asked Keith what he wanted to be when he was 15, he would have said a fighter pilot. Once he got into the Garrison, it was hard for him to see himself doing anything else. If someone told him at the age of fifteen that he would grow up to be a paladin, a fighter in a universal war piloting a giant sentient robot in the shape of a lioness, he would have laughed and then kept a very healthy distance. That was just outlandish and ridiculous.

But if someone told him he would grow up to create and lead a humanitarian group, would find a family that never gave up on him, and that he would become skillful in leadership and support and teamwork…. Well, Keith would have punched the person in the face for making fun of him. It just wasn’t who he was.

And yet, it all happened. The war, the lions, the leading, the humanitarian group, his family. Looking back, Keith couldn’t help but smile, knowing he’d become more than he ever thought he would.

The humanitarian group was Keith’s proudest accomplishment. He loved seeing the hope return to the eyes of the worn out and defeated. He liked seeing the light in the children’s eyes when they saw him, when they asked if they could help too. It made him happy to know he was helping people get back on their feet, that he made their lives better. He even started to love being around children because as soon as they saw Keith and the rest of his half-Galra team, they wanted to play and they wanted to know what they could do to grow up to be like him. He was making a difference in a way he never thought he could, but it was such a fulfilling thing, that now, at the age of 26, he couldn’t see himself doing anything else.

Of course, he enjoyed going home just as much. On Earth, he was able to catch up with his friends, his own little family. Pidge and her family still taught at the Garrison and it was a role that fit them all well. Keith liked visiting them and occasionally being a guest speaker in one of Pidge’s classes. Hunk had created a culinary empire throughout the galaxies. No matter where Keith went he could always find a place serving Hunk-inspired food that reminded him of home. He’d since returned to Earth to open up a family owned restaurant that quickly prospered, and every time Keith returned and stopped by, he was greeted with a large hug and a warm meal. Shiro had adopted a kid. A little boy named after Ulaz who called him Uncle Keef. He was living a simple and comfortable life, retired as a stay-at-home dad while his husband Curtis continued to be part of the Garrison. Keith always stayed with them when he was on Earth.

Then there was Lance.

It was a strange thing at first. Lance spent so long grieving, and all Keith could do was walk between the rows of juniberry flowers and listen to Lance’s memories of Allura and all the things he’d planned for them. He never minded though. It never made him feel bitter or angry or jealous. When Lance and Allura got together, Keith had to admit it shocked him. But they worked in an unexpected way. Keith couldn’t blame Lance for mourning what he could have had.

That's how it went until the first dinner they had in memory of the end of the war and in memory of Allura. Something happened that day when they watched their lions rumble with energy that had so much of what felt like Allura. When the marks on Lance’s face glowed until he took a staggered breath. There was a new peace in his eyes when he met Keith’s eyes before they returned to their beds that day.

After that, whenever Keith visited, Lance seemed a little more like himself. He was happy with his life on the farm, surrounded by his family. He liked playing with his niece and nephews, and he liked telling them stories. He liked helping his mom around the house, getting together with his siblings on weekends. He liked putting Keith to work whenever he visited until they were both sweaty and out of breath in the field before laying under a tree for shade as they drank fresh limeade his mom made and caught up.

What they didn’t have as teenagers, they created through those moments. Keith occasionally spent the night if he stayed too late or if he just lost track of time. The guest room in the house had become known as Keith’s room. If Keith was completely honest with himself, visiting Lance slowly became one of his favorite parts of returning to Earth. All those talks and the laughter and the bonding created an emotion that made Keith feel happy and warm and comfortable and…. It was a soft, fragile thing only Lance could awaken in him.

It wasn’t like he was the only one. That much was clear in the way Lance’s mom and dad looked at him each time he visited. Like they knew an inside joke. Or the way that Sylvio and Nadia had slowly taken to calling him  _ Tio  _ too. It was clear in the way that Lance would shift nearer to him when they talked under the tree, and how he’d lay his head on Keith’s shoulder with the excuse that he was tired. It was in the smile that always spread on his face as soon as he saw Keith, in the way he’d run to meet him as soon as he heard the rev of his motorcycle. In the way their hugs goodbye always lasted longer than any hug should, but they never broke apart until Lance had repeated fifty times for him to stay safe and be careful.

Which was exactly why Keith couldn’t help the tsunami of confusion and half-formed protests when Shiro told him Lance was getting married when he visited that summer in the middle of August. He’d greeted him like usual and asked for Keith to catch him up on his latest adventures. When Keith turned the conversation to him, he got uncomfortable and sent Ulaz to his playroom before rummaging in a drawer and returning.

“I want you to hear it from me, Keith.” Keith frowned and waited with nerves tying themselves into knots in his stomach until Shiro slid the silky white invitation with maroon vine leaves along the border toward him. It took a moment to make sense of the names on it.

_ Lance Charles McClain & Jennifer Anne Shaybon _

“It came in the mail a couple months ago.” Keith stared at the names with their elegant script. “It was… maybe a month after you last left.”

“Oh.”

Shiro let him take it in for a second. “And… it was addressed to me and Curtis. No other names.”

The insinuation in that hit Keith hard enough to make him dizzy. He shut his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. “I… I haven’t checked my mail at the Garrison. I was gonna wait to see Pidge.” Shiro nodded, but they both knew nothing aside from a monthly stipend would be waiting for him there. “So… he’s getting married.”

“In two weeks. Yeah.”

_ Two weeks?  _ It didn’t make any sense. Lance hadn’t even mentioned this Jennifer the last time he was here. And he knew that while Lance was a romantic, there was no way he would meet, get engaged to, and marry someone within the span of four to six months.

He touched his finger to the indented vine leaves that resembled the leaves on the tree they liked to sit under.

\---

“Okay, no, no, no!” Lance protested through laughter, as he held himself up on his palms. His jeans were stained with dirt and grass and wet spots from where he placed his limeade on his lap. “Keith, come on! There’s no way you don’t have a romantic bone in your body.”

“It’s not my strong point, is all. I haven’t really had a relationship. In the Garrison I was too intimidating and troublesome. Then the war. Now, I just… don’t have time.”

Lance kept his gaze steady on him, indecipherable. The sunlight glinted in his eyes, making them lighter against the skin that had darkened over the last two years since they’d returned to Earth. “Okay. Scenario. You meet someone- guy or girl-”

“Guy. Definitely.”

Lance smiled. “Okay, you meet a guy. And… you wanna make him feel special. What would you do?”

Keith hummed and pretended to think heavily as he drank from his own glass. “I don’t know,” he said helplessly. “He’s too much of a blur.”

“Keith!” Lance was half laughing through his frustration.

“Well, okay, give me an example then.” A soft breeze made the tree branches sway slightly, their shadows dancing on Lance’s clothes. “What would  _ you  _ do?”

Lance smiled widely and shrugged. “Easy. I'd start by being friends. I’ve learned that being friends is the best way to really know someone before falling for them. It’s better than hitting on them right off the bat, because then I just sound like an ass.” Keith laughed. “So… I’d be their friend. And if they liked me back, then by then I’d know them well enough to do things they like. Invite them to movies they like, go to places where I can listen to them ramble about everything they love about it. I’d… buy them flowers and chocolate, or whatever they like. If they have a quirk or something, I’d give them something that has to do with it.”

Keith frowned and tilted his head. “What’s that mean?”

“Well, say the person I like doesn’t like flowers or chocolates but they  _ love  _ books. I’d get them the books they have on their reading list. You know, something that’s… them.” Keith hummed and nodded. “And then, when I’ve courted them properly, I’d ask them to date me officially if we haven’t become that. Date for a while. Get to know their family, have them get to know mine. And then propose down the line. I’d like to do it after at least a year, but sometimes… things could speed up I guess. And I’d make a really elaborate proposal just for them. Scavenger hunt or a mob dance or something.”

Keith laughed aloud at that, cringing as he imagined it. “Or if they’re more into subtle things… it can be a really intimate proposal. Quiet. Alone. But still special. Now don’t even get me started on wedding plans.” Keith smiled at that, figuring that if Lance ever had a wedding it would be the most beautiful wedding in the universe. “So? Your turn. Just ask yourself, ‘What would Lance do?’ WWLD. I’ll make you a bracelet.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Hm. Okay. I need an example, but I’ll try to think like you.”

“Hunk! You fall in love with Hunk.”

Keith raised an eyebrow, since they both knew how gone Hunk was for someone already. “Alright, sure.” Keith thought to the things Hunk liked and tapped his fingers against his glass. Drops of condensation slid down onto his fingers as he thought. “Okay. I would take him to eat at a restaurant-”

“Nope!” Keith scoffed as Lance shrugged. “Hunk judges the hell out food. He loves it, and he loves trying new things, but you do risk having him turn into a total food critic. Date fail.” 

Keith felt his cheeks warm. “Okay…. Then I'd take him to a theme park-”

Lance made an obnoxious buzzer sound. “He hates roller coasters and he's sensitive to street food. You'll end up watching him puke into a trash bin.”

Keith scoffed and threw his free hand up in exasperation. “I told you! I can't be romantic! Besides, you seem to know him way better than me, so…. Lost cause.”

Lance shifted so he was sitting with his legs crossed and he could lean forward instead of back. One hand settled on the grass and brushed along ground, sifting it through his fingers. “Okay, new example then. You take  _ me  _ on a date. You know I'm a sucker for romance, so really you can't go wrong. Come on.”

Keith sighed and looked out at the fields. What would Lance do? What would Lance do for himself?

He smirked and squinted against the setting sun. “First off, I'd take you to a salon. You'd get the full treatment.” Lance burst into bubbly laughter and covered his face. “Face masks, manicures, massages, the whole thing. And yeah, I'd get them too because I know you like sharing the moment. Then… what time of year is it?”

“Why?” Lance asked with a smile.

“If it's summer, we can't do anything outside because you'll get sweaty. Which isn't a big deal here on the farm, but you would hate it on a date.” Lance raised his eyebrows and tilted his head slightly, nodding to give a quick affirmation. “And if it's winter you'd have to be super bundled up because you get cold easily which you also wouldn't like because you worked too hard on deciding what to wear. So we'd have to do something indoors. But if it's fall, then the weather would be just right so you could wear something you like and still cold enough to give the excuse for cuddles. You love cuddles.”

“I do, I love cuddles.”

“If it's spring we could be outside and it might even rain and that way we would go to a park where you'd run and stand in the rain.” Ever since they returned to Earth, Lance liked to sit outside when it rained, occasionally sitting out in the field as it poured no matter how much his mother chided him and insisted he'd get sick. “But before any of that, I'd take you to an outdoor movie. One of those reruns of a really cheesy romcom because they make you cry no matter how many times you watch them.”

“You're gonna make me cry on a first date?” Lance exclaimed in feigned offense.

“Yeah. Because it gives me an excuse to comfort you and get close enough for a kiss.” Lance's eyebrows went up. “But you won't get it. Not until the end because I'm a gentleman.” Lance chuckled and pulled his knees up to rest his chin on them. “Then when the movie is over, we'd go to a cafe and talk and when I took you home, I'd take the long way because I just gotta spend more time with you. Of course the whole time I'll have a playlist made just for you with your favorite songs and songs that remind me of you. But you wouldn't know until the very end when I sent it to you. And just before you went inside your house, I'd kiss you.”

Lance was flushed a scarlet red that made him look like he'd been sunburnt. “Jesus, Keith. I think you outdid me on romance. One note though.”

“What's that?”

Lance smirked. “I'd kiss you first.”

Keith stared at him, one eyebrow arched as if questioning the challenge, but their playful smiles stayed.

A strange thing coursed through him and he looked briefly at Lance's lips, wondering how they might feel, how they might move against his own. It wasn't the first time. The first had been on a spaceship galaxies away on a tired night. But it was the first time since the war ended that Keith truly yearned for the courage to lean forward and meet his lips.

There was no mistaking the fact that they'd been flirting blatantly, passing it off as playful teasing because they were just so comfortable. But once Keith looked away and toward the sunset again, sipping from his limeade, whatever momentary ounce of courage they had dissipated. Heavy doubt and uncertainty filled its place.

\---

“Keith?”

He blinked and shook his head to clear it slightly. “That's soon.” Shiro gave a pained smile and nodded. “Just doesn't seem like something he'd do. But love does weird things, right?”

Shiro sighed and took the invitation, tucking it back in its drawer.

“Are you going to see him?”

He wanted to say no. He wanted to say yes. He wanted to ask if he even should. Instead, he shrugged. “Maybe if he's not too busy. I'm kind of tired right now, though. I think I'm gonna take a nap.”

“Okay. If you need anything, I'm right here. I'll tell Lazzy to keep it down for you.” Keith nodded and walked in a trance-like state to the room Curtis and Shiro reserved for him.

Two weeks.

He had two weeks to figure out what the hell happened in the time he was gone.

***

The next day, Shiro tried to gauge his emotion, but Keith had become skilled at masking what he felt. He always had been good at keeping a blank face, but now his skill included showing a fake emotion. He played with Ulaz through the morning, kept the talk at breakfast centered on Curtis and asking questions, and smiled any time Shiro looked at him with that worried expression.

By the middle of the day, he’d managed to escape. He went to the Garrison. Against his own better judgement, he went to check on his mail. He had five stipend checks and nothing else.

With a resigned sigh, he retreated and instead went to the lounge where all the instructors tended to gather around lunchtime. Sure enough, he saw Pidge with a red pen and a stack of papers beside her. Her large glasses were perched on top of her head, pushing her hair back. He walked over to the spot in front of her.

“’Scuse me, mind if I sit here?”

“Yeah, sure, ju-” Pidge looked up and did a double take. “Keith! You’re back!” She stood up and went around the table to wrap her arms around him. “How have you been, when did you get here, are you hungry, what-”

“Easy,” he interrupted with a laugh. “I’ve been good. I’m glad to be back. I just got here yesterday. How have the classes been? What are you grading?”

She sat back down and waved a dismissive hand. “They’re just quizzes. I’ve been great. Classes are great. Summer courses are always smaller, so it’s a lot easier to handle.” For a while, Keith let himself enjoy the small talk. It was easy with Pidge because she liked rambling about all the things she had to catch Keith up on. All the funny moments between her and Hunk or between her and Lance.

But Keith did notice Pidge didn’t bring Lance up at all.

“Hunk should be at the restaurant. I’m sure he’d love if you stopped by. I’m done with my classes if you want to go?”

“Yes, definitely. I’ve missed his food.” Pidge laughed and gathered her things. They drove in Pidge’s car a few blocks down where Hunk’s restaurant was. It was full, as usual.

The went inside, and Keith recognized Hunk’s dad and one of his sisters walking around with trays of food and wide smiles. His other sister was at the cash register. Pidge waved at them and went behind the counter nonchalantly. She greeted Hunk’s sister with a kiss on the cheek and Keith settled for a wave and a smile. Then they dipped into the kitchen where Hunk and his mom and a few other family members were bustling around.

“Hunk!”

At the sound of Pidge’s voice, Hunk turned around, a greeting halfway on his lips before it melted away and turned into a shocked sound. “Keith! Dude!” He went over and immediately engulfed him in one of those hugs that Keith had come to love. “It’s so great to see you again!” He pulled back, beaming at him with friendly eyes that never seemed to age. “Let me fix you something to eat!”

Keith laughed and waited with Pidge off to the side where they wouldn’t be in the way. Hunk asked about his journey and about how the last few months have gone for him. He asked about Acxa, Ezor, and Zethrid. He told Keith about how the restaurant might get another location and the day he was Pidge’s guest speaker in class.

Again, Keith noticed Lance wasn’t brought up.

They sat in a booth near the back and caught up as Keith finished his food. Keith wondered if they were avoiding the mention of Lance because they weren’t invited either, or if they had a fallout, or if they were doing it for his sake. So he figured he needed to be forthright.

“Shiro… showed me his invitation. Did you guys get them too?”

Hunk and Pidge shared a look. “Yeah. We got invites too. We didn’t know if you knew yet.” Pidge nervously pushed her glasses up. “Are you gonna talk to him?”

Keith grimaced. Everyone knew. Everyone knew what Keith felt. Didn’t that mean Lance knew too? Did they know what Lance felt? Everyone seemed to feel pity for Keith about the situation. It only raised more questions in Keith’s head.

“Yeah. I want to visit him. I… I didn’t get invited, so…. I’ll just see if he brings it up and…. If not….”

Hunk furrowed his eyebrows. “Weren’t you included in Shiro’s?”

He shook his head. “Shiro said it specified him and Curtis.”

Hunk and Pidge shared another look and Keith had half a mind to shake them both and ask what they were thinking. “Fucking hell,” Pidge muttered under her breath.

“If he does invite you, would you go?” Hunk asked.

Keith grimaced and stared at the table. “I don’t know.” He scratched the back of his head and sighed. “I didn’t even know he was seeing someone. How long did he even know Jennifer?”

Hunk furrowed his eyebrows. “Since the Garrison.” Keith’s eyebrows went up. “He asked her out before Voltron and all that, and…. Jenny turned him down, but they recently met back up.”

Somehow, that made things click into place. It made it realer. Suddenly it wasn’t Lance being impulsive or lovesick. This thing- this relationship- had a past. They had a past together.

All he answered was, “Oh.”

“Keith-”

“It’s fine,” he said, interrupting Pidge. “Really, it’s okay. I don’t….” He took a breath. “I’d rather hear the explanations from him.” He gave an awkward chuckle. “So… how’d you guys know that I…?”

Pidge snorted. “Keith, come on. We’ve known you and Lance for so long. It’s easy to see what you feel for… him.”

“For each other,” Hunk amended, giving Pidge a slight nod. She smiled and nodded. “The invitations took us by surprise. But we’re his best friends, we… we want to be supportive-”

“You should be,” Keith said with a smile. “I’m glad you are. Let me guess… you’re the best man, right?” Hunk chuckled and nodded. “It’s okay. Really. It’s just like you guys are saying. It took me by surprise.” They nodded, pretending to agree. 

After a few moments of awkward silence, Pidge asked, “How long are you staying?” 

“Two months. Acxa didn't think I should stay for so long again, but…. I mean it goes by quickly.” He shrugged. “Things aren't as dire as they were five years ago.” He smiled and wiped his hands clean. “I've taken up a lot of time! You've got a busy restaurant to run. I should go.” 

“Hey, no. You're welcome here any time for as long as you want. We missed you, and it's always great to see you,” Hunk said. 

“I can drive you back for your motorcycle,” Pidge offered. Keith nodded. 

They said goodbye to Hunk, but his head was in a distant space. He stared out the window watching the wide expanses of grassy fields blur as Pidge drove. She kept the music loud enough to give him an excuse not to talk. 

\---

The shovel felt heavy and slightly dangerous in Keith's hands. The wood the handle was made of was chipped and splintered from use, the shovel head itself rusted along the edges. 

“Get working, Mullet.” 

Keith scoffed, gripping the shovel tighter. He could handle hand blisters and splinters. “The mullet has been gone for a long time, Lance.” 

Lance shrugged and smirked at him. “You'll always be Mullet to me.” 

Keith grumbled, but he followed Lance as he moved expertly through the fields of vegetables and herbs that left Keith speechless. He'd never seen Lance's family farm before this. They made it to an empty space and Lance pointed out the dimensions he wanted the new lot to be. They worked on making rows while the sun beat down on a crisp autumn day. The occasional wind gave them some relief. 

“This is a shitty way to welcome an old friend,” Keith grunted as he smoothed out his row with the back of the shovel. 

“Nah. Just the Latino way. We all work.” Keith rolled his eyes. 

Once the rows were done, Lance took it upon himself to plant the seeds of the juniberry flowers. Keith followed next to him wordlessly. The more seeds Lance planted, the more solemn he seemed to get. 

By the time he finished planting, the tears were welling up in his eyes. 

“Are you sure it's a good idea to keep planting these?” Keith asked softly. 

“They keep her memory alive,” Lance snapped a little harshly.

Keith shifted uncomfortably. He and Lance hadn't been on the best terms for a long time. Their dynamic had changed near the end of the war, but it was still new, and Keith didn't want to mess it up. 

“I know. But we keep her memory alive too. The marks on your cheeks. You don't have to plant all these-” 

“I don't need to hear what you have to say. This is my farm. I can plant whatever the fuck I want.” Lance turned away and started back where they came from. 

Keith sighed and ran after him. “Wait! That's not what I meant, Lance.” Lance sighed and stopped walking, letting Keith turn him back around. “I just…. You seem so sad planting them. And I don't want you to think that you  _ have  _ to plant them. Like if you stop it would somehow mean you're leaving her behind. It doesn't.” Lance looked away and clenched his jaw. “Lance, I know what it's like to grieve. I've done it before.” Lance's eyes met his. “Let me try to help.” 

Lance was quiet for a while before he looked down and sniffed. “It's not the planting that makes me sad. It's thinking about… how happy she would've been to see the fields of them. She thought they were gone. And then it makes me think about her and… and our first date and our first kiss and-” Lance broke off and started crying more profusely. 

Keith had never been good at dealing with crying. He didn't like to cry and he never knew what to do when someone else did. 

But he wrapped his arms around Lance and let him put his weight on him as he sobbed into his shoulder. He felt Lance's hands grip his shirt in fists and felt tears quickly soak through the material. 

“I've got you. I've got you, Lance. You're okay.” Keith held him up and shut his eyes at the sound of his cries. 

“It took me so l-long to be with her. And now she's gone.” 

Keith shut his eyes, feeling tears sting his eyes as he thought of the pain he felt as well after losing Allura. “I know. It isn't fair.” He hugged Lance tighter. “You know what, why don't we go sit down somewhere, away from everyone, and… remember her.” He pulled back to look Lance in the eyes. “Tell me about those things you think of when you plant the flowers. We can remember her together.” 

Lance stared at him, dumbfounded. Then he nodded and started walking toward a nearby tree. They sat down on the grass, their backs to the tree trunk. 

There, covered in dirt and smelling sweaty from their previous exertion, they watched the sun set as they reminisced. The first time they saw Allura, their favorite memories of her. Lance took over after a while and talked about all the things that must have filled his head in the past few months. Keith let him cry and talk and offered hugs when Lance needed them. 

“Was it hard? When your dad died?” Lance asked, wiping his nose on his sleeve. 

“Yeah. Everyone kept telling me he was a hero. That he died saving people. But I was eight. I didn't care about that. I cared that… that he was gone. I didn't want him to be a hero. I was angry that he died for other people because… because he was supposed to be my dad.” Keith shrugged. “I was kind of selfish.” 

“You were a kid.” Keith shrugged. “Well…. Thanks for talking about her with me. It….”

“Helped?” Lance laughed softly and nodded. Keith smiled and nudged him gently. “I've got your back, sharpshooter. Even if the war is over.” 

Lance smiled back at him and laid back against the grass. “Why are you always comforting me in the sunset, Mullet?” Keith snorted and shook his head.

\---

When Pidge parked at the Garrison, Keith tried his best to act normal. To act okay. 

He didn't like the pitiful way he was looked at or the fact that it seemed like everyone already knew who his heart beat for. Because it made him wonder why Lance never knew. Or if maybe he did. If, as Hunk had said, Lance felt something for Keith as well, why was he getting married? 

They got out of the car and Pidge stopped him before he could walk any further, leaning against the car. “You okay? No bullshit.” 

A smile tugged at his lip. “Just…. Confused. But also… I mean maybe it's my fault. I never did anything about it.” 

Pidge scrunched her nose. “He didn't either. Honestly Hunk and I have been frustrated with you both since we joined the war as Voltron.” Keith raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her. “It was just… like a game of ping pong. He liked you when you didn't like him and then when you did, he was mad at you and refused to like you, and then… and then he got his chance with Allura. And she wasn't a second choice, I don't think. But I also don't know if Lance made the right choice. If he made it because he liked her or because he'd been after her for so long it just seemed like what he was supposed to do.” 

“He was devastated when he lost her.” 

Pidge nodded. “He was devastated when you left for the Blade too. I think he loved you both and just couldn't differentiate what it meant between you.” She shrugged. “But it's not your fault. At least not yours alone. I do think you need to talk to him before this wedding though.” 

“Yeah. I know. I hope he wants to talk to me.” 

Pidge rolled her eyes. “The problem isn't about whether he'll talk to you. It's a question of  _ what  _ he'll talk to you about.” She stuffed her hands in her pocket and regarded him with an analytical gaze that always made him nervous. “Are you going to tell him you know or…?” 

He shook his head. “I want to see if he'll tell me.” He ran his hand through his hair and then pulled Pidge into a hug. “Don't worry about me. You keep looking at me like I'm gonna break.” 

Pidge was quiet. Then she started shaking. “I'm scared,” she whispered. “I'm scared we'll all fall apart.” 

Keith frowned and pulled back from her. “Are you crazy? We went through too much together to fall apart now. There's no way. No matter what. Lance getting married…. Yeah. It'll hurt, but it's not gonna keep me away from you guys. You're my family.” 

Pidge took a breath and nodded, rubbing her face. “Promise you won't run away. If he says something you don't like, if this whole thing hurts…. You can't disappear into space for a year and half. Do you understand me?” 

Keith frowned. He didn't consider himself one to run away from his problems. “I won't,” he said sternly, if slightly offended. 

“Good. Because if you do, I'll find a way to go up there, drag you back here, and kick your ass.” 

Keith rolled his eyes, but he allowed himself a smile. He ruffled Pidge's hair, much to her dismay, and then took a deep breath. “Alright, I gotta get going. I'll see you later, okay?” 

Pidge nodded and stayed put, watching him get onto his motorcycle. She didn't move from there, watching him drive off down the road. 

Once Keith couldn't see her in his rearview anymore, he pulled over at the nearest gas station and took a moment to breathe alone. 

It was all so much. He'd expected to come back to Earth and relax. Spend time with his brother, his nephew. Talk a bit in a class, play catch up 10 different times. Work on the farm for a while before the nights were spent stargazing with Lance. 

He never expected to come back to the news of Lance getting married to someone, to the realization that his friends all knew what he felt for Lance for so long, to the mixed emotions that came from all of it. 

He stared at his handlebars and debated what he should do next. If it were any other time, he would've been on his way to see Lance. He didn't know if he had it in him to act normally around Lance at the moment, but postponing would only make things more suspicious. 

And in all honesty, he wanted to get his answers. 

He took another breath and revved his motorcycle before heading out down a familiar path that he knew like the back of his hand now. It let his mind drift slightly, let it reach for some sort of reasoning to make sense of it all. 

\--- 

The last day always felt bittersweet. While the rest of the days felt calm, the last day before Keith had to head back was filled with last minute get togethers and attempts for a good time before saying goodbye for another handful of months. 

This time, Shiro, Curtis, Hunk, Pidge, and himself were lounging on lawn chairs in front of Lance's house. The house was split in a way that allowed everyone in the family their own space and privacy while still being close enough to walk back and forth between the sections. They did have to share the kitchen in the main section, so that's where they tended to sit. 

Lance's mom had just brought out mugs of hot chocolate and large blankets for them all to share and huddle under. 

Curtis and Shiro shared one as Ulaz ran around, playing with the McClain family dog. Hunk and Pidge shared another, which meant Pidge was the warmest with both the blankets and Hunk's body heat around her. Which left Keith to share with Lance. 

The closeness felt natural. More than once, Keith felt Lance's hand brush against his on accident beneath the covers. He found his eyes lingering on Lance as much as he noticed Lance's linger on him. The moments when their eyes met, they shared a small smile, comfortable and secret.

“How long until you come back?” Hunk asked. 

“I'm not sure. Depends on where I am in the galaxy and how much work we've gotta do.” He sipped from his mug, humming as the sweet, warm liquid soothed his throat. He'd come down with a slight cold that last week, and had been subjected to being slathered in Vicks and stuffed with soups and teas by almost all McClain family members. “Even though the war has been over, there's been a lot of civilizations that are struggling to get on their feet. Government or food rations or limited resources leave them a little scrambled, so we try to help where we can.” He smiled and looked at his friends. His family. “They ask me about you all.”

“Yeah? What do you tell them about us?” Shiro asked. 

“Usually just about what we did on my last visit here. Unless you all have something you want me to say?” 

“Lance McClain, pilot of the blue and red lion still handsome as ever,” Lance said beside him with a playful smirk. 

“Noted,” Keith answered. 

They stayed up talking with a heater aimed at them as some extra protection against the cold. Pidge and Hunk eventually dozed off in their chairs. Curtis and Shiro had Ulaz between them, fast asleep and still holding a stick in his hand. They were quiet, but not asleep as they looked up at the night sky. 

Meanwhile Lance kept starting to fall asleep before jolting awake as soon as his head lolled. Keith turned toward him, shifting to let Lance lean against him. 

But Lance shook his head. “Not sleepy.” 

Keith frowned and nudged his shoulder. “Yeah you are. Go to sleep. I'll wake you when we start to go inside.” But Lance shook his head again, more stubbornly. “Lance.” 

Tired blue eyes met his. No words or questions, just… a stare. Keith stopped himself from leaning in by a strength that was already hanging on a string. 

“Why don't you wanna fall asleep?” Keith whispered. 

“You'll leave when I wake up.” 

The admission was so sudden and frankly unexpected that it left Keith speechless for a moment. “Well…. I'll have to leave whether you stay awake or not.” 

Lance shut his eyes. “I know.” 

Then, whether because Lance was that tired or because he was already half unconscious, he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Keith's. It made Keith stop breathing. 

Then slowly, Lance collapsed a little more against him. Keith guided his head slowly toward his shoulder, so he wouldn't jolt him awake. Then he wrapped his arms around him and let Lance lay half on him, half against him. 

Keith had recognized his reignited feelings for Lance a couple years back. It was a funny thing they tended to do. Ever since Keith first started liking him when they were teens, his feelings grew then faded to the back of his mind, friendship and loyalty overruling them before the feeling reemerged insistently. 

Only they hadn't faded this time. Instead, each time he returned to Earth had them growing more and more until it took all of Keith's concentration not to kiss him until he couldn't think. Part of him thought Lance might feel the same way. The other part of him worried it was just in his head. 

He looked over at Curtis and Shiro, both murmuring to each other with their eyes opening and closing slowly. Then he looked at the stars. He'd be heading up there in the morning. 

He looked back at Lance and leaned his cheek against the crown of his head. “I'll come back to you,” he promised in a whisper. 

\---

The way the pavement turned into a worn dirt road was subtle. It told Keith he was near. He could see the fields of crops, flowers, and the corn stalks. It was a bountiful farm.

A few more moments later and he could see the house and all its little subsections. He could see figures, coming out in response to the sound of a familiar engine rumble. 

The figures gained details as Keith closed the distance. Nadia and Sylvio were waving. Nadia kept a ball still with her foot as Sylvio held the dog back from chasing after. Lance's mom was standing at the door of the main house, a welcoming smile on her face. 

Usually, all the McClain family gathered outside to greet him with large smiles and excited waves, eager to scoop him into tight hugs. This time everyone seemed tentative, surprised. Nervous. 

It made Keith feel awkward. 

And then there was that familiar gait. Lance walked out, uncertain for a moment. But as Keith slowed to a stop in his usual spot, he broke into a run to greet him. 

Almost as soon as Keith got off the motorcycle, Lance was there, engulfing him in a hug. “You're back,” he reached out. 

Keith scoffed, ignoring the hopeful longing blooming in him. “I always come back,” he said softly.  _ Please tell me you've changed your mind.  _ Keith reminded himself to behave normally. He pulled back and offered Lance a smile. “You got work for me to do?” 

Lance laughed and punched his shoulder lightly. “Come on, Mullet.” 

They walked toward the others. They smiled and hugged him, but there was something reserved about it. Keith thought he might have been putting it in his own head. But once he got to Nadia and Sylvio, they hugged him and greeted him with, “Hey, Keith.” No  _ tio. _

“Sylvio, you hit another growth spurt,” Keith noted. The 15 year old was nearly as tall as him. 

“It's Kaltenecker's milk,” Sylvio joked.

“Keith,  _ querido,  _ are you spending the night?” Lance's mamá asked. 

The question made him hesitate. His normal response was always yes. It was just routine now. “If I haven't annoyed you yet,” Keith finally said. She smiled and shook her head, going back into the house to get blankets to set up his room. 

Marco and Luis and their wives as well as Veronica seemed to be analyzing him. Waiting for something. 

Lance put a hand on his shoulder. “You hungry?” 

“No, I just ate at Hunk's actually. I could go for some limonada though.” 

“I'll make some,” Veronica offered. “You two come help me dice the  _ limones.”  _ She dragged Marco and Luis away. Marco's wife, Renata, said she had some laundry to put up. Luis’ wife, Corina, said she'd see them at dinner once she was done picking some of the ripe fruits and vegetables. 

“Um. Sylvio, let's get that tie-breaker, dude,” Nadia said, kicking the soccer ball. “We'll catch up later, T- uh, Keith!” She ran off with Sylvio and Ajax flanking her. 

It was almost painful.

Keith turned to Lance fully expecting his composure to be as different and distant as the others. Instead, the same calm look in his sky blue eyes anchored Keith and helped his nerves settle down. 

Getting a good look at him now, Keith noticed he looked darker. A couple shades darker from the summer sun. He had tan lines on his arms from short sleeved shirts, visible with the tank top he had on now. His eyes looked impossibly saturated and crystalline in the sunlight. He was sweaty from being outside. 

He was breathtaking. 

“How have you been?” Keith finally asked. 

Lance smothered the toe of his dirt covered shoes into the grass beneath them. “You know, farmer's life. Milking, planting, working…. Wondering when you'd come back.” 

Keith wanted to be upset that Lance didn't mention dating, but that last addition made him forget to be hurt. Instead, his heart was fluttering in his chest, begging. Begging for Lance. 

“Well I'm here.” 

“For how long?” This time, the question sounded a little sharper, a little bitter. 

“Two months,” Keith answered. Lance nodded, but he didn't say anything. He rubbed the back of his neck and and took a breath. “You okay?” 

Lance scoffed and nodded. “Yeah. I'm good. Uh, come on. My apá's watching TV, if you want to join?” 

“What are you doing?” 

Lance looked out at the cornfield. “I was picking some corn for Papá to grill.” A slight pause before he added, “You want to help?” Keith nodded which made Lance smile. “Alright, let's get some of that  _ limonada  _ to go then.” 

They walked into the house together. Instead of cutting and squeezing limes, Lance's siblings were scattered around the house. Veronica stood by a closet and jumped when she saw them come in. “Jesus Christ,” she breathed out. 

“Where do I put-” 

Marco's voice came from somewhere, but Keith couldn't figure out where before Veronica cut him off. “Mami's room!” She walked back toward them and smiled. “What's up?” 

“We wanted  _ limonada. _ Keith's helping me bring the corn.”

Veronica's smile melted a bit and she fixed Lance with cold look. With a fake smile, it was almost menacing. “Sure. I think we still have some. I'm waiting on Cori to bring some more limes for a new batch.” She grabbed some tumbler cups and filled them before handing them both one. Keith noticed she shoved Lance's toward him a little too harshly. “Be back in time for dinner.” 

“I know,” he muttered. 

Keith hadn't felt this left out even the first time he visited. It was like everyone was avoiding him. 

Without another word, Lance walked out with Keith following closely behind. “Everything okay?” Keith asked. 

He was offering Lance a chance to explain. To say something. To tell him about the wedding that confused the hell out of Keith and seemed to be crushing his heart a little more with each passing second. 

But Lance smiled at him and nodded. “Yeah.” 

They walked to the cornfield slowly. Lance had taught Keith a couple years back how to pick the corn, and there was already a half filled basket Lance seemed to have left behind to go greet him. 

“So how is it out there?” Lance asked as they moved through the stalks. 

“It's… harsh. It sucks to see the civilizations struggling. But they always seem a little happier once we help.” Keith smiled at him. “And every time they ask about you, I make sure to tell them you're handsome as ever.” 

Lance laughed and shook his head. “You remembered that?” 

Keith nodded. “Of course. My memories of Earth keep me sane when I'm up there. When I visit Krolia, she likes hearing about you guys.” 

“What have you told her?” 

“Everything,” Keith said with a shrug. 

\---

It was still surreal to see so many Galra behaving the way they were now. There was a part of Keith that kept waiting on an attack. The instinct of fighting back was ingrained in his limbs and made him uneasy. But instead of guns and swords in their hands, Keith saw food and household tools in their hands. Smiles instead of scowls. Younger Galra children running around and playing games. The only screams here were of a child who scraped their knee. 

The militia was under Krolia's command. They trained, but thankfully havent had to be used as a defense. 

“Are you sure I can't convince you to stay here?” Krolia asked as Keith looked at the new generation of Galra, this new society. It had only been three years since the war ended, so everyone was still a little hesitant about their new life. 

He shook his head. “You've done great here, Mom. But….” 

“But your heart is on Earth.” Keith shrugged. “How is he?” 

“Happy. The farm has been good for him. Being with his family.” Krolia hummed. “He says he does miss it up here. Seeing the stars up close and all. Being a hero. But he's scared he'll get stuck here again.” 

Krolia stopped walking, causing Keith to turn and face her. “Why haven't you told Lance how you feel?”

He sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. “It's not that easy. It's not like you and Dad. Lance…. I don't know. I know he still misses Allura, even if he's not hurting as badly as he did that first year. I don't want to push, I just… want to be the friend he needs.” 

“Oh, Keith.” Krolia cupped his face and smiled at him. “Such a brave warrior, but such a disaster of a boy.” 

“Wha- Mom!” She laughed and nudged him along.

\---

The last ear of corn fell into the basket, and Lance hoisted it up before gesturing to the house. 

“I can carry that,” Keith offered. 

Lance raised an eyebrow. “You doubting my strength?” 

Keith rolled his eyes, but in reality, he was very aware of Lance's strength. The summer heat had his skin shining with sweat that only emphasized the curves of his muscles as he carried the basket. It was distracting. Keith knew Lance could read him like a book. 

“Fine, I won't offer help anymore, asshole.” Lance laughed and nudged him with the basket. 

They walked back to the house with vague conversation about the plants they passed by, the suffocating heat of August, how quickly time seemed to pass. 

Lance's dad was putting some lumber together for a makeshift grill for the corn to roast on. Keith could smell something being cooked inside. He could hear Lance's mom, sister, and one of his sisters-in-law singing along to music and laughing as they moved around the kitchen. Marco and Luis helped drag the lumber. Nadia and Sylvio were setting up a long white table to eat at. 

“Do I get the  _ mantel _ for the table?” Sylvio asked. 

“No,  _ menso, _ we need that… later. It can't get dirty,” Nadia answered. Then she walked over to look at the basket. “Biggest one is mine, right, Tio?” 

“If you picked them, it would be,” Lance answered, ruffling her hair. 

She pouted, but when she looked at Keith he winked at her. “Don't worry, I got you.”  She smiled and winked back before going to help Sylvio set the chairs up. 

With a big family, the set up was quick. Within a couple minutes, plates full of food were set around the table along with cups filled with each person's preferred drink. Everyone sat down, by habit leaving two empty seats next to each other for Keith and Lance. 

As they ate, the smell of the slowly roasting corn filled the air along with idle chatter. The McClains always tried to minimize the amount of Spanglish and Spanish they spoke when he was there, not wanting him to feel left out, despite how often Keith assured them it was fine. 

That night, it wasn't the occasional Spanish they used that made Keith feel small and awkward. It was the very obvious glances his way, the uneasy smiles as they looked between the two, the shared almost conspiratorial looks the couples gave each other. The way the conversation stayed in small talk because getting into deep conversation about the last five months meant dancing around the fact that Lance was getting married in two weeks. 

“Keith, you wanna help me with the  _ elotes?”  _ Lance's dad asked. Keith nodded, desperate to get away from the table of tension. 

They peeled away the burnt leaves and Keith made sure to separate the largest corn for Nadia. Lance's dad smeared them in butter, mayonnaise, chili powder, grated cheese, and a hot sauce Keith never remembered the name of. Everyone grabbed their own and Nadia went straight to Keith so he could give her the one he set aside for her. She smiled widely at him and gave him a hug before going to join her brother on the front steps. 

Lance had been looking at him and shook his head. “Traitor,” he said with a smile. 

The sky had been dark for a while once the mess was cleared and everyone was done eating and the fire had been put out. The family took turns showering, and even with two bathrooms, it took a while. 

Keith could hear Lance's mom constantly chiding and reminding everyone through the doors to, “Leave some hot water for Keith!” 

Meanwhile, Keith sat outside and stared up at the stars. 

“Homesick?” Lance asked, coming to sit next to him. 

Keith shook his head. “I am home.” 

Lance stared at him and sighed, giving him a sad smile. Then he looked up at the sky along with him. 

\---

Although Keith had been visiting the farm each time he returned to Earth the past few years, he'd never spent the night. The idea made him nervous. Especially with his feelings for Lance growing more and more. 

But it was late and Lance's mom insisted he was welcome to stay. 

“ _ M'ijo,  _ it's late. You can't go back on a motorcycle at this hour, you could get into an accident! It's really no problem, we have a spare room for guests with a bed and plenty of blankets.” 

Lance came up beside him and draped an arm over his shoulders. “Aw, c'mon, Mullet. You don't wanna worry my Mami, do you?” 

Keith rolled his eyes and elbowed him. “Okay, I'll stay. I appreciate it.” 

Lance's mom smiled at him and squeezed his face by his cheeks. She went into the house, leaving Keith confused and Lance doubled over in laughter. 

“I'm pretty sure you're like… her favorite son,” Lance said. 

Keith only shook his head and shoved Lance. He didn't expect it, so his lack of balance resulted in him toppling onto the ground. 

When he got up, the look on his face told Keith to run. Sure enough, Lance tackled him to the ground then stood up and laughed at him. Keith knocked his legs out from under him and laughed when Lance's victorious gloating was cut off by a pained grunt. 

“I'm gonna fucking destroy you,” Lance wheezed.

“If you can catch me.” Keith scrambled up while Lance was trying to catch his breath and bolted between familiar fields, careful not to mess up the plants. Lance quickly gained on him, calling out for him. 

“Face me, you coward, you started it!” Lance shouted between fits of laughter. 

“You have bad balance! Not my fault!” Keith called back, dashing toward their tree. 

They circled it several times. Keith tried to lose him, but Lance had quick reflexes. When Keith tried to run away from the tree, Lance grabbed a hold of his arm and tugged him bag. The momentum had them collapsing against each other, both falling to the ground and then rolling down the hill. 

Once they were at the bottom, neither could catch their breath, laughing and panting, covered in grass stains and fallen leaves. Lance kicked out weakly toward him. “Asshole.” 

“We- we are… grown ass adults… playing tag,” Keith huffed between breaths. 

“You started it,” Lance answered breathlessly as he laid on the ground. Their eyes met and they dissolved into another fit of laughter until Keith laid down too. 

They were laying in opposite directions. Keith's head was next to Lance's legs as he looked up at the sky. 

“It's so pretty out here,” Keith whispered, finally catching his breath. “You can see all the stars.” 

“No city lights,” Lance answered. “How do you think I got so fascinated with space?” 

“It's like that in the desert too. But here….” 

“Yeah?” 

Keith took a breath. “Dunno. It's just nicer.” 

Lance hummed in response. Then Keith felt a brush of fingers against his. He froze and let their fingertips touch. He willed himself not to move away. Not to move closer. 

Then he felt one of Lance's fingers brushing back and forth against one of his, felt it curl to bring Keith's closer. Keith allowed it. He extended his fingers and let them settle between the spaces of Lance's. Let them curl to show he invited Lance's warmth. 

They didn't speak. Didn't acknowledge it. They just stared at the stars in the sky and let their fingers curl together. Not fully holding hands, but… holding each other. Keith could feel Lance's thumb brushing along the back of his fingers so lightly, it made him shiver.

But he hoped Lance would think it was only because of the chilly autumn air. 

\---

“Happy belated birthday by the way,” Keith said after their silence had stretched. 

“Honestly, after the mess with being gone three years but feeling like it had only been a few months…. I don't even make a big deal about birthdays anymore.” Lance looked over at him. “But thank you.” 

Another long silence stretched between them. They used to be comfortable. Now they felt like an insult. All that time for Lance to tell him. To invite him. Or maybe not invite him, but… let him know. Instead Keith only heard the chirping of crickets and the rustle of leaves when a breeze came through. 

“ _ Querido,  _ the shower is free now. There should still be hot water,” Lance's mom said. Her smile was kind and gentle. So similar to her son's. 

“Thank you. Goodnight, Lance. See you in the morning.” 

He went inside and turned around in time to see Lance's mom sit next to him, her hand tousling his hair gently before he leaned into her. 

***

The next morning, Keith woke up to the smell of pancakes. He heard a movie on in the living room. When he went downstairs, he saw Nadia and Sylvio scrolling through their phones, half watching the television. 

“ _ Buenos dias, querido,”  _ Lance's mom said when she saw him. “Hungry? I was just about to call everyone in to eat. Take a seat.” 

“Thank you, Mrs. McClain. I'll help you set the table.” She gave him a grateful smile as she left to get the others. 

“Tio, how long are you staying with us?” he heard Sylvio ask. Nadia elbowed him. 

Keith looked over and felt his heart break. “Oh. Well as long as you'll have me, I guess. I'm here for two months before I head back.” 

“Did you bring us anything?” Nadia asked. 

He smiled and sat with them. “Well, I did, but I left it at my brother's house. I'll bring your gifts later. How was freshman year, Sylvio?” 

“Pretty good. I've been acing my science class. My teacher says I can do an advanced course sophomore year.” 

“I was in a play! We made it to regionals in UIL,” Nadia said. 

Before Keith could respond Sylvio spoke again, talking about how he got into band. Then Nadia told him about getting all A's. 

Keith laughed as they caught him up, bouncing back and forth. “You guys just want more souvenirs, huh?” 

“Nah, we just missed you,” Nadia said. Sylvio shrugged, refusing to admit it but he also didn't dispute it. “You were gone for five months.” 

“Yeah. I guess I missed a lot.” 

Nadia and Sylvio shared a look that made Keith wanna kick himself. Then they jumped and scooted away from him, suddenly getting up to serve themselves pancakes. Keith looked over his shoulder to see Lance coming in, looking at him curiously. 

“Morning,” Lance said. Keith returned the greeting. 

As he ate, he noticed the awkward silences again. All the small talk had been used up the night before. It was painful. Keith hated feeling like such an outsider.

He was going to offer to wash the dishes, but Veronica immediately shooed him away. “You're a guest. Get out of the kitchen,” she chided. 

_ An unwanted guest.  _

Before he could sit down to watch TV with Lance's brothers, Lance grabbed his arm lightly. The touch made Keith's heart shatter while simultaneously making it beat faster than the wings of the hummingbirds that flitted around the juniberries outside. 

“Hey. Walk with me?” 

Keith felt a weight settle in his chest. “Sure.” 

They walked out of the house and Keith swore everyone's eyes were on them. 

Once they were a distance away from the house, Lance took a loud, heavy breath. “You were gone longer this time.” 

“I'm staying longer too.” 

Lance nodded. “Yeah. That's nice.” A beat of silence. Just the rustling of grass being bent under their feet as they walked. “Um. Keith, I….” 

The knot in Keith's throat made his voice small. He stopped walking and looked at Lance. “Yeah?” He tried to keep his voice light. Welcoming. 

Lance looked at him with anguished blue eyes. Those weren't the eyes of a soon to be married man. 

Lance stared at him for a while before he seemed to deflate. “You know, don't you?” 

Keith grit his teeth. “You wanna tell me what I'm supposed to know?” This time, it was Keith's voice that held the bitter venom. Was Lance going to be a coward about this? Not tell Keith, the same guy who visited him up to five times a year and stayed long enough to own his own space among his family, that he was getting married? 

Lance sighed and nodded. “Right.” He shut his eyes for a second before opening them and looking Keith in the eyes. “I'm getting married, Keith. In a couple weeks.” 

Keith knew. He'd seen the invitation. Talked about the news with Shiro, Hunk, Pidge. Noticed the secrets in the McClain house. 

Still, hearing it from Lance's mouth made him feel like he was going to collapse. “Well, congratulations,” he managed to choke out. 

Lance's eyebrows furrowed together and he started walking again. Keith followed him. Lance's quick, frustrated pace placed a large distance between him and Keith. Then he sat down on the ground. Keith walked toward him, slow and dazed. Then he sat beside him. 

“You wanna tell me why I didn't get an invite?” 

Lance scoffed. “What, you wanted me to send an invite to the Garrison for it to gain dust in a locker until you decided to come back? For all I knew you'd have missed it.” 

The coldness in his voice made Keith's resolve wither away. Instead of falling apart, Keith steeled himself. 

“I can assume you're not inviting me now, right?” He knew the answer. In his heart he knew the answer. 

But it still took Lance so long to respond. “I don't think it would be a good idea.” 

Keith scoffed and stood up. “Where did this even come from? I'm gone five months and you manage to meet someone, fall in love, and plan a wedding?” 

Lance stood up, his face contorted into a scowl that Keith hadn't seen in a long time. “You'd be surprised how much can happen in the time it takes you to come back. Dammit Keith, why did you have to come back at all?” 

The comment made Keith freeze. Made some memory hidden deep in the recesses of his mind surface. 

\---

_ Maybe you should have just stayed away!  _

_ Maybe you should have just stayed away!  _

Keith buried his face in his hands. Sure, it was something said in a near manic episode of being stranded in the middle of nowhere. Keith himself had said things he didn't mean. But there had been something in Lance's eyes, some leftover rationality that told Keith he knew exactly what he'd been saying. 

A slight buzz told him his intercom had come on. 

“Keith?” 

Speak of the devil. 

“Keith, buddy, you there?” 

“Yeah. What's wrong?” 

“Nothing. I was just wondering…. Could you get Kosmo to portal you over? I think we should talk.” 

Keith's pride wanted to say no. His anger wanted to tell Lance to go fuck himself. 

But the part of him that remembered what it felt like to be away from the team for 2 years, that learned how to be a level headed leader…. That part wanted to figure things out. 

“Sure. I'll be there in a bit, let me just put Black on autopilot.” The buzz went away and left him alone. He whistled for Kosmo and pet him gently. “Alright, boy. Let's head over to Red, okay?” Kosmo yipped and the next thing Keith knew, that dizzying feeling of being transported overcame him and he was in Red's cockpit. 

“Hey,” Lance said. Kosmo immediately pounced on him and licked his face. “Oh hey, boy! Good to see you too.” 

Keith wanted to smile but he forced himself not to. He wasn't on the best terms with the red paladin. “What'd you wanna talk about?” 

Lance sobered up and pulled away from Kosmo. “Um. Well. About what I said before. When we were out there.” Keith stared at him. Lance sighed in resignation. “Okay. I mean, I wanna blame it on the going crazy in space…. But if I'm honest, it's something I've been upset with you about for a while.” Keith met his eyes. “You ran away-” 

“I didn't  _ run away,  _ Lance.” 

“You did. We needed you. You were our leader. And you went off with the Blades without even explaining or….” Lance sighed. “We were becoming friends, man. You started trusting me, listening to me. We were working together and we were good! And then you just ditched!” 

“You wanted to step down!” Keith shouted. Lance stepped back. “You…. As soon as Shiro got back you were back to that seventh wheel mindset and talking about not being good enough. I know you. If it's not Allura telling you that you belong, you won't listen. You don't listen to your best friends, you sure as hell wouldn't listen to me.” 

Lance scoffed. “So you left for me?” His tone was sarcastic and disbelieving. It angered Keith. 

“It made you stay, right?” 

Lance shook his head. “Keith. You're so full of shit!” Keith saw red as heat flared up his back. “I wouldn't have stepped down. Not if you didn't want me to. You told me to leave the math to Pidge, you told me I should stay. So I was. I stayed. I was your right hand man through all of it, but you wanted to go with the blades and then Shiro had to step up. And then it wasn't even Shiro! He didn't listen to me, he didn't talk to me or work with me-” Lance put his fingers to his temples. “The way fake Shiro treated me made me feel a lot less needed than I did when you were leading. When you left… it felt like you didn't care about us.” 

“I did. I do! I just…. I thought it was the best thing for me to do. I thought I could help everyone more by leaving. I tried to stay, but the Blades… needed me.” 

“ _ We  _ needed you.” Keith sighed and shut his eyes. “I'm… scared you'll go away again. That we'll be friends and you'll just disappear. With the Blades or some other cause. Look, I didn't think we'd be friends. Ever. But life works out in funny ways. And my friends matter to me a lot. I can't handle people leaving me, Keith. So yeah, I was pissed at you, and I wanted you to know.” A hand on his shoulder made him open his eyes. “But I didn't really want you to stay away. It just….” 

Keith looked at him, how vulnerable his expression was. How honest his words sounded. “I'm sorry,” he heard himself whisper. “I didn't mean to make you feel that way. I really thought I was helping.” 

Lance gave him a lopsided smile. “Yeah. I can see that. So let's make a deal. You stop ditching us, and… I'll believe you when you tell me nice things. Even if it's hard.” 

Keith smiled and nodded. “Deal. I'm not going anywhere.” 

\---

There were too many things left unsaid. Too many things hidden under all the words, but also so obviously there. It angered Keith. Why couldn't they just speak? 

He stepped closer to Lance. “Why don't you want me at the wedding? Why wait until now to tell me?” Lance grit his teeth and stared at him. “Come on Lance. We're beating around the bush with this thing, just say it. Why don't you look like someone happy and ready to get married?” 

Lance swallowed and stared him down. “I'm done playing this game, Keith. I'm tired.” He turned away but, Keith yanked him back. “What do you want?” he snapped. “What do you want me to say? A bunch of things that will lead nowhere? Want me to say all the things that don't matter?” 

“Why now? Where did this even come from?” 

Lance scowled. “Jenny and I had a fling back at the Garrison. I saw her again at the grocery store, we started talking, we picked up where we left off.” He shrugged. “I've already risked my life. Why not get married fast if we like each other?” He stared at Keith, waiting for another comeback. When none came, his stance relaxed a bit. “Keith… we've been through too much together for this to ruin everything.” 

Somehow that made it even worse. That last effort of  _ we can still be friends.  _

Keith felt like an idiot. He'd stayed at this house, with this family, when all of them knew Lance was getting married. They pitied him. And Keith had stayed and played along… in hopes of what? Of Lance changing his mind? Calling off the wedding? 

“I should go,” Keith whispered. 

“Keith-” 

“It's fine,” he muttered. He started walking away. Then he was running. He didn't even stop at the house to say goodbye, to grab his things. He was already embarrassed enough. 

He grabbed his bike and sped off, fighting back the swirl of emotions raising up in him. 

***

When he got back to Shiro's, he forced all of the thoughts in his head to stay in the back of his mind. He brushed off Shiro's questions in favor of playing with Lazzy. 

He couldn't avoid it forever though. By the time Curtis went to put Ulaz to sleep that night, Shiro went into Keith's room and sat down wordlessly. At least for a while. 

When it was clear Keith wasn't going to talk, Shiro went ahead and asked, “You wanna talk about it?” 

Keith scoffed and stared at his ceiling. 

“Fair enough. Did he tell you about the wedding?” Keith nodded. “Did he invite you?” He shook his head. “Did you tell him anything?” 

Keith took a deep breath. “No. But he basically told me I shouldn't have come back. Then followed with some form of ‘we can be friends.’ I just left.” 

Shiro frowned and scratched his head. “So… he liked you back?” 

Keith sat up. “I don't know! Okay? I don't fucking know. I thought he might. Everyone did apparently. But he wouldn't tell me anything. He kept saying he was tired, that the wedding was happening. He chose this. He wanted this. He wants her and he wants me out of it. So there. Can you…?” Keith sighed and rubbed his head. “It's been a long day. I want to go to sleep….” 

Shiro took the hint and got up to leave. 

But before he did, he turned back and said, “You're not teenagers anymore, Keith. You can't keep acting like you are. That goes for Lance too.” Then he walked out and Keith rolled over in bed. 

With no one watching him, no one talking to him, he let himself fall apart. He let his heart break and let his tears flow, let his body shake with the breathlessness that overwhelmed him. 

As he recalled the argument that morning and everything they said and didn't say, Keith came to a realization. 

When Lance talked about Jenny, he said they liked each other. He never said he loved her. It made Keith wonder if he loved her to begin with, if he was someone who could marry a person he didn't love. His eyes didn't light up when he talked about her. Not like they did when he talked about Allura. Or the way they did when he first saw Keith the day before as he pulled up on his motorcycle. 

But then… Keith was probably grasping at straws. Looking for any reason to believe this wouldn't happen. 

Somewhere between heartbroken cries and conversations played back like a broken record, Keith fell asleep. 

*** 

The next couple days felt blurred and slow. Keith visited Pidge and Hunk again, caught them up vaguely on his visit at the McClain household, and then joined them on an expedition for a video game. He played with his nephew and watched movies with him. He helped Curtis cook but he didn't eat much. 

Then one day as Keith helped Shiro out in the yard, a familiar white pickup truck with a dent on the front bumper pulled up.

\---

The look of disbelief on Lance's face was comical. “You're telling me… you can fly a spaceship and drive a motorcycle… but you don't know how to drive a car?” 

Keith laughed and shrugged. “Never had one and never needed to. I get rides or just go on my bike when I'm here. Up there, it's all wormholes and spaceships. So no.” 

Lance shook his head and pulled his hoodie up before drawing the strings tight. The hoodie circled around him, slightly muffling the scream he let out. “That's ridiculous! Both of those are way harder than driving a car.” Before Keith could answer, Lance smiled widely and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Wanna learn?” 

Keith grimaced and bit his lip. “I mean… I'm never gonna need to-” 

“Yeah you will! Whenever you're here and if it rains or something. Come on it'll be fun! I've been teaching Nadia since she turned fifteen and when Sylvio turns fifteen next year I'm gonna teach him too.” 

Keith blamed the large puppy dog eyes and dopey smile for the way he immediately gave in and agreed. 

Within the next quarter hour, Lance had Keith behind the wheel of his dad's automatic pickup truck. He pointed out the main things- turn signals, hazard lights, gear shift, emergency brake, rear and side view mirrors. 

“Okay. You good?” Keith nodded. “Now get into drive by pressing the brake and moving the gear shift. Good. Now slowly speed up. Go straight.” Keith was grateful for the wide expanse of road and fields that kept him from getting nervous about hitting another car. “Start slowing down at the post, we'll pretend it's a stop sign.” He stopped too hard and made Lance jerk forward with a laugh. “Easy.” 

“Don't laugh!” 

“Trust me, it's better than being yelled at which is how our dad taught us.” Lance smiled and started explaining the rules when coming to a stop sign. 

Lance upgraded Keith to making turns, both wide and narrow. He struggled with figuring out the speed, and Lance had to oftentimes remind him to ease up on turns. 

“You don't have to sit so stiffly,” Lance said with a smile. 

“I- it's just- I'm anxious okay? Spaceships don't work like this and motorcycles are a lot thinner and agile.” Lance laughed and Keith shot him a quick glare before looking back at the road.

“Okay, okay. You've done a lot today. Drive us back to the house and we can get back to watching TV.” 

Keith nodded and drove slowly back with occasional bursts of speed that had Lance laughing into his jacket sleeves. 

As Keith pulled up to the shed where they'd started the driving lessons, Lance told Keith to go ahead and park the truck. 

But he pressed the wrong pedal to change gears and the truck lurched forward. Lance's warning only made Keith nervous and he struggled to remember to press the brake. The momentum the truck already had made them bump against the side of the shed. Both of them jolted forward and froze. 

“Oh my God. Oh my God, oh my God. I crashed your dad's truck.” 

He expected Lance to chide him or panic. Instead the asshole burst into obnoxious laughter. “I can't believe I finally found something you're not good at! All these years! And it's- it's driving!” 

“Lance! I just crashed the truck, would you shut up-” 

He laughed harder, doubled over and unable to talk. “You didn't crash it, man. You probably dented it, but it's not horrible. Here, reverse then park. Use the  _ brake _ this time.” 

“Fuck you,” Keith muttered before doing it. He winced at the scraping sound he heard when he backed up. As soon as he parked, he took his seatbelt off and got out of the truck to look at the front. 

Lance took his time, still laughing. “You should probably turn the engine off next time, Mullet!” he called. 

But Keith was too busy staring at the dented bumper. It had a smear of white and the reflection of light contorted with the bent metal. “Oh  _ no,”  _ Keith moaned. 

Lance walked over to stand beside him. “Drama king.” With that, Lance walked back go the house, head tilted back as he continued to laugh. Keith followed after him, face red with embarrassment. 

“How were the driving lessons?” he heard Lance's mom ask from where she sat with her husband on the couch watching a Spanish variety show. 

“Keith just totaled Papá's car with the shed,” Lance answered. 

“What!” 

“I am so, so sorry, Mr. McClain, I will pay any-” 

“Oh calm down,” Lance said, putting a hand over his mouth to shut him up. “He just dented the bumper because he pressed the gas instead of the brake when he was gonna park.”  

His parents relaxed and started smiling. They had the good manners not to laugh at him, unlike their son. “Oh! In that case, no worries,” Lance's dad assured. “My  _ troquita  _ has been through much worse. Should've seen when I taught Luis.” 

“ _ Ay, carajo,  _ you scared us,” Lance's mom chided her son. “Other than that little accident, how did it go?” 

Lance beamed and gave them a thumbs up as Keith shook his head and said, “I'm never driving again.”

\---

Keith stood up and shielded the sun from his eyes. Veronica hopped out of the driver's seat and waved. 

“I'll be right back,” Keith told Shiro. Shiro glanced over and looked at Keith questioningly, but Keith was just as confused and unaware of what the visit could entail. 

He walked over to the truck as Veronica leaned against it, holding out a reusable bag. “Your clothes from when you stayed. And some  _ empanadas  _ from Mami.” 

“Thanks,” Keith said, taking the bag. "Um. I have some things I brought back for Nadia and Sylvio and your mom. You wanna come in?" 

"Sure."

Shiro gave a slight wave as they went onto the house. Keith led Veronica to his room and pulled out a cloth bag from his closet. 

He pulled out each thing as he showed it to her. "I got them both a necklace with a rock from a moon a few galaxies out. They were trading it in a market on one of the planets we visited. A star map for Sylvio. I got Nadia this keychain since she'd been driving the last time I saw her. And for your mom, I got this. I thought it was a cool cross between a geode and a lava lamp kind of thing. I know she likes holographic things and the planet-" 

Veronica chuckled and ran a hand over the things he brought back. "This is sweet. Thank you."

Keith nodded and smiled awkwardly as he placed everything back into the bag. "So… how's Lance? I… I know I left pretty rudely…." 

For a while, she didn't say anything. She just looked at him. Keith hated how similar her eyes were to Lance's. Then she shrugged. "It's Lance. He smiles even when he's upset. You know he hates arguing with you." 

Keith grimaced and looked away. "Is she good to him? Jenny?" 

At that, Veronica let out a long, tired breath. "None of us are super excited about the wedding…. But we want to support Lance. And yeah. She's a good person. Sweet, and pretty funny. They have the same sense of humor." Keith felt his heart clench, but he tried to take solace in the thought. "She's still kind of shy with us, but she seems to genuinely care about him." 

Keith gulped and took a shaky breath. He was thankful he was all cried out. "That's good." 

"Yeah. In fact, you'd think that with the wedding a week away, Lance would be the happiest guy on the planet right now." Keith frowned and let his gaze return to her. She pushed her glasses up her nose. Her stare was almost as analytical as Pidge's. "I mean, that's how it's supposed to be when you marry the person you love, isn't it?" 

Keith nodded slowly. The guilt began to consume him and he had to tear his eyes away from her. "Tell him I'm sorry. That… we won't fall apart, but I just need time-" 

"I'm not telling him anything. I'm not a messenger, Keith. You can tell him yourself." Her voice wasn't angry, but she wasn't exactly coddling him either. 

Keith huffed and nodded. "Right. Sorry."

It was quiet again. Keith stopped himself from asking more questions in fear of the answers hurting him more. Instead he stared at the ground, willing it to swallow him whole. 

After a few more moments, Veronica grabbed the cloth bag and started for the door. "You should talk to him. I know it'd make him happy to hear from you. To fix whatever happened." Keith nodded, but in reality, he didn't think he'd reach out any time soon. "Cool. I'll… see you around then, Keith." She gave him a half smile and left the room, leaving Keith to stare at the door. 

He heard the engine of the truck rumble to life and heard the sound diminish as Veronica left. 

Maybe he was an asshole. He was the one who promised Pidge this wouldn't change things. But he walked away from Lance when he tried to salvage whatever they could have. He couldn't be angry at Lance for finding someone to spend his life with. 

Besides, it wasn't the first time he had to step aside for Lance to be happy. It wasn't the first time he let him go. He could do it again and be happy for Lance. 

No matter how much it hurt him to think about it. 

***

The closer the wedding got, the more tentative Shiro became. Like he was waiting on Keith to burst or something. 

“Shiro, I'm not a ticking time bomb. And you don't have to whisper the word wedding like it's a curse word,” Keith told him tiredly after Shiro had cut himself off from whatever he was telling Curtis about the wedding. 

“We're just trying to be considerate,” Curtis said. 

“Yeah well… I'm an adult. We all are. It's fine.” Before they could apologize, he said, “Can I borrow your phone?” 

“Sure. It's on the kitchen counter.” 

Keith nodded and grabbed the phone before going outside. He dialed Lance's number. 

After a few rings, he heard, “Hey Shiro, what's up?” 

There was a girl talking in the background between laughter. “Uh. It's me, actually.” 

“Oh.” Keith wasn't sure if that was disappointment or surprise in his voice. “Give me a second?” It was muffled, so Keith figured he was talking to someone else. It took a few moments before Lance's voice cleared up. “H-hey.” 

“Hi. Busy?” 

“Um. Yeah. Last minute stuff and whatnot…. Oh, Nadia and Sylvio loved their gifts. Mami did too. She almost cried.” Lance chuckled nervously. 

“That's great, I'm glad they liked them,” Keith answered with a smile. He took a deep breath looked at the potted plants scattered along the front of the house. “I won't keep you long. I just… wanted to apologize for last time. I'm happy for you, and… you deserve to be happy. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did.” Lance didn't answer. For a long time. Keith's nerves were getting to him. “Hello?” 

“Yeah. I'm here. Sorry.” He heard Lance take a breath. “Thank you. I'm… I'm sorry I didn't tell you.” 

Keith laughed. He had no idea where he pulled the sound from, but it wasn't a sob, so he didn't care. “It's fine. Congratulations, again. I'm sure it'll be a beautiful wedding.” His voice broke on the last word. He winced and cleared his throat. “Another call is coming in for Shiro, so I gotta go. Bye, Lance.” 

“Oh, okay, yeah. Bye.” 

Keith hung up before he could drag the moment out any longer. He expected to feel some sort of peace after that call. Lance didn't seem to be angry with him anymore. He'd put Lance's happiness first, and he felt sure about the decision. 

Still, all he could think of was that tinkling laughter in the background.

*** 

The day of the wedding Curtis and Shiro started getting ready well before the mass. Keith offered to help get Lazzy dressed, so he could be useful somewhere. 

He tried to keep his mind away from wondering what Lance was doing. 

“Come on, buddy we gotta get you all handsome,” Keith said, taking Ulaz to his room. 

“Uncle Keef why you're not dressed up like Poppa and Daddy?” 

“I'm not going, Lazzy. I'm staying here to take care of the house.” 

Ulaz frowned as Keith got him out of his shirt and into a recently ironed button up. “But you and Lancey are friends. You gotta go.” 

Keith felt his stomach twist. “I'm a little sick, bud. If I go, I'll get everyone sick and that's not good.” 

“You gotta go to doctor, Uncle Keef?” he asked, looking alarmed. 

Keith chuckled and sat him on the bed to help him get his nice shoes on. “No, I've got medicine here to feel better. But have fun for me okay?” 

Ulaz nodded. Keith finished helping him, getting him into his suit jacket and helping him do his hair. His nephew looked adorable in his tiny suit, all spiffy and elegant. 

“Don't get dirty, okay? You gotta last to the party.” 

Ulaz nodded. “Uncle Keef, if you feel better, you should come too. So you can have fun. Lancey will be happy.” 

Ulaz's lack of understanding made Keith wish he could be four years old too. “Yeah, maybe,” he allowed, if only to placate the toddler. “Go on, go show your dads.” 

Ulaz bounded off and Keith busied himself with a book in the living room. 

About an hour later, the family was at the front door ready to go. “We'll be back later,” Shiro told him as he grabbed his keys.

“Okay. Have fun, guys.” Keith smiled as they left. 

Suddenly the house was too quiet. The ticking of the clock in the hallway and the dripping of the faucet in the kitchen were all he had for company. He debated ordering a pizza for himself and watching a movie before Ulaz's words came back to him. 

Would it be so horrible for Keith to go to the wedding? It would hurt, of course, but… then he could show Lance he truly wanted him to be happy. He could support him wholeheartedly and they could be okay.

Lance had said it wouldn't be a good idea, but that was different. Keith's reaction then proved exactly why it wouldn't have been a good idea. But Keith had gotten a grip on himself. Lance was his friend. Wouldn't it be better to be there for him? 

Keith bit his lip and went to check his closet. He didn't have a tux. The nicest thing he had was a black button up and a pair of old slacks. He'd be severely underdressed for a wedding. 

He had no time to iron it out or take a shower or do anything other than quickly put on the clothes and a pair of nice shoes. The wedding would start soon, and Keith didn't want to draw attention to himself by arriving late. 

When he arrived at the church, there were still people going inside. Glittering dresses and recently pressed suits hovered around as laughter and chatter filled the air. Keith felt nervous. Like they might kick him out if they saw him there. 

He slipped into a side building with a bathroom and calmed himself down. He wasn't doing anything wrong. He wanted to be a friend. 

He took a deep, steadying breath and stood up straighter. It was fine. 

He walked back out only to stop in his tracks at the sight of a beautiful girl in a stunning white dress. Her brown hair was pinned up with a few freed curls around her face and down her back. Baby’s breath was tucked into her hair indifferent parts, and a carnation was pinned on the side, just above her ear. She held a white and red bouquet in her hands as she smiled widely at those fussing over her. Her skin was a warm brown color and her eyes were large and dark. She was the picture of a perfect bride. Lance’s bride. 

Keith took another deep breath and made sure to keep himself composed. He walked to the other side of the chapel, blending in with the other guests so he could get inside. But before he could decide to walk in, he saw a familiar gait from the corner of his eye. He glanced over and saw Lance in a midnight black tuxedo with a splash of red from the handkerchief tucked into the pocket. He was walking back and forth with Hunk sitting at a bench, watching him. He looked handsome. His hair was carefully combed to the side and the tux gave him an elegant air he didn’t typically have when on the farm. It suited him. 

Lance stopped pacing and seemed to a take a deep breath, looking up at the clear sky before turning to Hunk. Keith couldn’t hear what they were saying and he couldn’t get closer without risking Lance seeing him. But Hunk was smiling at him, shaking him gently with his hands at Lance’s shoulders. Keith saw Lance nod and look off to the side, like he wanted to get a peek at his bride on the other side. 

Even from where Keith stood, he noticed a strange tension in Lance. Nervousness maybe. He kept expecting to see Lance break into a goofy or confident smile, but instead he looked… grim. 

He heard someone call Lance’s name and it sparked a moment of panic in him. He dashed into the church to avoid being seen. 

The aisle was decorated with vases of white and red carnations. Each pew was filled with people whispering and greeting each other. Keith noticed Shiro near the front half of the church trying to get Lazzy to stop jumping on the pews. 

He saw Veronica and Lance's mom talking to a few other people that Keith vaguely recognized from years before and the major celebrations that often brought the large family together. 

\---

The colorful decorations hung up around the farm were beautiful, all hand made by Renata. Nadia was twirling in her large poofy  _ quinceañera  _ dress, laughing and smiling widely. The food smelled delicious, and Keith had watched the preparations of it the last two days. 

The amount of people in Lance's family was overwhelming. Keith was a clear outlier, but everyone was friendly and welcoming. 

The music that played on the speakers scattered around the farm made a vibration rumble from the ground to the soles of his feet. 

An arm draped over his shoulders. “You okay, Mullet?” 

“Yeah. It's just a lot. You're related to everyone here?” 

Lance laughed. “Yep. Some form or other. By marriage, or the aunt of an aunt, half brother of a second cousin. And I've got lots of cousins.” Keith let out a low whistle. “I don't know  _ everyone.  _ I just had a great aunt kiss my cheeks and tell me I've grown up so much and I have no idea who she was.” 

Keith laughed at that and shook his head. “Must be nice to have such a big family.” 

Lance shrugged. “Definitely has its perks. I mean we know how to party.” His expression fell a bit. “They keep asking about my marks, and I'm getting a little tired of it. Latinos don't always get the hint when you wanna change the subject.” 

Keith frowned, eyes lingering on the blue curves on his cheekbones. “Well, instead of being asked uncomfortable questions, what do you say to helping me not be so confused? Tell me about these  _ quin-quince-rera- _ "

" _ Quin-ce-añe-ra _ ," Lance enunciated with a light laugh. 

" _ Quinceañera _ traditions. What's with the giant, creepy doll on the table?” 

Lance smiled, eyes brightening again. He walked around with Keith explaining different aspects of the celebration. The doll, the reason for the party, the way the food was cooked, how they managed to pool together enough for such a huge celebration with the help of  _ padrinos.  _

“I love this song! Come on!” Lance grabbed Keith's hand and dragged him to the dance floor. 

“No, no, no! I can't dance.” 

Lance waved the comment away. “Yes you can. With the right partner.” 

Before Keith could protest again, Lance spun him around and started dragging him between other couples on the dance floor. 

“Ooh, look at you, Tio Keith! I want the next dance!” Nadia yelled over the music when they passed her. Keith blushed and shook his head but he couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up in him. 

“Come on, spin me now. Ready? One, two-” 

Keith spun Lance around and laughed when Lance whooped. Keith heard the beat of the music change a few times, but the songs didn't end. Like they blended together, and Lance tirelessly wove them through people. 

By the time the music finally stopped before a new song, Keith was breathless and giddy. 

“Told you you could dance, Mullet!” Lance said, bringing him into a hug. “Come on, let's get a drink.” 

As they walked to the cooler, Lance's relatives neared him, asking about his dance partner. 

“You looked like you had fun!” one elderly woman said with a thick accent. “So happy!” 

“It was fun,” Keith admitted. “I’ve never danced before.” 

A few others stopped by to say they enjoyed watching them and even asked one of them for a dance later. Cousin this, aunt that, uncle so and so. Keith lost track of the names as soon as Lance said them. 

When they sat down to eat something, Lance nudged Keith's foot. “I think my cousin Tito has a crush on you,” he said with a sly smile. 

“Oh? Which one is that?” 

“He's by Nadia's table with the champagne bottle for the toast.” 

Keith looked over and saw a young boy about twelve years old at the table, glancing over at them occasionally. 

“You're hilarious,” Keith muttered. Lance laughed loudly, but among the noise of the party it was a still a small sound. 

\---

“Keith?” 

He turned and saw Pidge in a nice scarlet dress that fell smoothly along the floor with baby's breath placed the waves of her short hair. 

“You look nice,” he noted. 

“Thank you…. What are you doing here?” 

Keith gulped. “Well… Lance is my friend, and I wanted to help him celebrate.”

Pidge furrowed her eyebrows. “And you're okay?” Keith nodded. “Does he know you're here?” 

Keith shook his head. “I made this decision about twenty minutes ago.” 

Pidge smirked and rolled her eyes. “Of course you did. Impulsive as ever, Keith.” He smiled back. “I gotta go. Jenny's panicking and nervous so she wanted extra perfume.” Pidge held up a bottle. “But Matt's down there with Shiro and Curtis if you want to sit down.” 

“Okay, yeah. Thanks.” She nodded and hugged him before she scampered off.

Keith nodded to himself, squared his shoulders, and walked with purpose toward the front. Matt was in the third pew from the front. 

The surprise in Shiro's, Curtis’, and Matt's faces were evident and made Keith cringe. 

“Uncle Keef you're here! Feel better?” Ulaz asked. 

Keith smiled. “Yeah. I have to be here for my friend, like you said.” 

He hoped that would be enough to get the others to compose themselves. He sat down next to Curtis and pulled Ulaz onto his lap. 

They didn't say anything. Keith saw everyone file inside to quickly take their seats. A nervous murmur rippled through the crowd. 

Keith looked around at the beautiful gilded gold of the arcs and the altar. Two seats were in the front with a silky white pillow for kneeling. Acolytes were taking their places. It was a beautiful church with beautiful decorations for a beautiful wedding. Just like Keith had imagined Lance would have. His gaze skirted along the guests. 

But his mind kept going back to Lance. Seeing him in his tuxedo made Keith’s chest ache. The expression on his face kept gnawing at him. 

_ Get a grip, _ he scolded himself. He shut his eyes and focused on holding on to Lazzy. Keith told himself to focus on breathing. If he couldn't do this, what did it say of the future? 

The difference between both bride and groom was drastic though, and there was a hopeful part of Keith that kept insisting on pointing it out. Lance didn't look  _ happy _ . Not like Jenny. Not like he had when he saw Keith arrive at the farm. Keith looked at the floor and tried to ignore the pounding of his heart. 

What if Lance really wasn't happy? Hadn't Veronica said Lance was supposed to be the happiest man on Earth and he obviously wasn't? If he was marrying someone he loved, shouldn't a smile be on his lips, and a brightness in his eyes even if he was nervous? That wasn't the face of someone about to get married to someone they loved. Which meant he didn't love her. 

Keith looked back up, trying to shake the thoughts from his head.

Memories flooded his mind. Every smile Lance had given him, every night spent staring at the stars and laughing with each other, the ghost of fingers aching to hold the other's. Then further back to pained expressions when he left for the Blade, to reassuring conversations under a sunset or in a dark meeting room.

Keith gulped and felt his hands start to shake. 

He had let Lance go so many times. And each time amounted to nothing but pain and fighting their way back to each other. He couldn't make the same mistake again. 

“How much longer for the ceremony to start?” he whispered.  

Curtis looked over at him. “About ten minutes, maybe.” Keith nodded handed Ulaz over to him. “Keith?” he whispered. 

Dizziness overwhelmed him. Nervousness and panic. He knew that he was about to do something that could ruin everything, something that could make this day a nightmare. 

But he couldn't let Lance go again. Not without laying it all out in the open for them to finally face. He didn’t have much time. He stood up, drawing a bit of attention to himself from those sitting in the pews around him. 

“Keith, what are you doing?” Matt asked nervously. 

“I gotta do something.” Keith started to get out of the pew, but felt a tug on his arm. He turned to see Shiro looking suspicious. 

“Keith, where are you going? This thing is about to start.” 

“Exactly. Let go.” 

Shiro seemed to catch on and he shook his head. “Keith, please sit down.” 

Keith wouldn’t give in that easily. Not again. Never again. He yanked his arm free and hurried down the side aisle before breaking into a run to get out of the church. He was careful about weaving between people without too much fuss. 

Then he saw him. Still on his side, out of view from his bride but now surrounded by people. Keith stepped closer. The conversations around him continued, half in Spanish, half in English. As Lance talked to a relative, he glanced around fleetingly at the crowd of people. 

He did a double take, and Keith knew he'd seen him. His eyes widened as he stared at Keith, and Keith offered a smile. But Lance looked… strange. He looked back at whoever he was speaking to, and Keith bit his lip anxiously. He could feel the time ticking away.  

“Well, we’re starting soon, you should take your seats,” Lance said to those surrounding him with a tight smile. Blessings and hugs and kisses followed as everyone excitedly went to the church entrance. Lance wasn’t looking at him. 

“Lance.” 

He didn’t even bother looking up. He just shook his head. “I need to get to my place.” He started walking away. 

“Wait,” Keith heard himself whisper. When Lance kept walking, he called out in a stronger voice, “ _ Wait!”  _ The way his voice broke must have stopped Lance. 

He finally turned to look at him with resplendent blue eyes. He looked so tired. “What do you want, Keith?” he asked softly. 

“I need to talk to you. Please.” He stepped closer to him. “Please. Before you do this, just… please.” 

“I told you not to come,” Lance whispered. His eyes filled with tears. Keith stared at him wordlessly. He had half a mind to fall to his knees for Lance. Lance looked at the church door where Hunk and Pidge were putting people in order for the procession. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Not here. Follow me." 

Lance led him back around the church where there was a courtyard and rooms and a small alleyway. He went into a room which looked like a classroom before turning around shoving Keith back hard. Keith stumbled back, but managed to keep his balance. 

“What is  _ wrong  _ with you?” Lance snapped. Tears fell down his cheeks, but even then he didn't seem as angry as he should've been. “I told you not to come here, then you made that phone call, and now you come and crash my wedding?” 

Keith stepped closer. “You can't marry her, Lance.” Lance shook his head. “I promise- I promise you… I came to support you. But then I saw you outside and … you aren't happy.” 

“You've got a lot of nerve-” 

“I can't just let you go again, Lance! Not anymore. We're not teenagers anymore, we can't keep playing this game. Come on, look at me.” Keith risked reaching forward, tilting Lance's face toward him. "You know, don't you? You gotta know by now. ” 

Lance stared back at him. He sniffed and narrowed his eyes. “Why don't you tell me what I'm supposed to know?” 

Keith smiled sadly. “That I've been falling in love with you the past five years. And I don't know exactly when it started, but it's only gotten stronger. And you feel something for me, even if it's not love, but I know it's more than what you feel for her. Because it's always been us, hasn't it?” 

Lance squeezed his eyes shut. His hands gripped Keith's arms. “This isn't fair,” he breathed out, his voice small and shaky. 

Keith pressed their foreheads together and sighed. “Don't do this, Lance. Don't go.” 

Suddenly, Lance was shoving him back again. “What do you want me to do, Keith? _You’re_ the one who keeps leaving! You leave me over and over. I can't….” 

“Then ask me to stay.” Lance froze, stared at him with anguished eyes. “I'll do it. I'll do it for you.” 

Lance shook his head stubbornly. “You love what you do, Keith. The group means too much to you, I won't ask you to leave it for me.” 

“Then don't ask me. I'll do it anyway. So I can stay with you.” 

Lance shook his head again. “You can't. You can't give up such a huge part of yourself.” 

“Then what do we do?" he asked desperately. "I want to be with you, Lance.” He stayed quiet for a moment, wiping Lance's tears away. “Don't… don't you wanna be with me?” 

Lance's expression twisted as more tears fell. He leaned into Keith. “Of course I do, you idiot.” He sniffed and took a breath to calm himself. "But-"

“Why'd you do it, huh? Why'd you propose to her?” 

Lance pulled away slightly. “I hate seeing you go, Keith. You leave for so long, and it feels like every time you leave I have to start over. I'm tired. I just wanted to build a life that wouldn't revolve around you." 

The words were a million daggers in his heart. "I never wanted to hurt you like this," he told him, grabbing Lance's hands in his own and holding them tightly. "I'll do whatever it takes. Just don't let me lose you again."

Keith looked at him and tilted Lance's face towards him. Unreserved affection and adoration overwhelmed him. He leaned into him, nudging their noses together. Their lips brushed for a fraction of a second. A blissful, all-consuming fraction of a second. 

Then Lance turned his face away and let out a defeated sigh. "They’re waiting on me out there. You… you should go…," he whispered. Keith froze and stared at him. "Please." Lance pulled his hands away and wiped his face. He walked out of the room, leaving Keith to stare at empty desks. 

He was too late. 

*

When Keith went back for his bike, he walked with a purpose. He refused to look at anyone until he got his bike and sped off.

He didn't go home. He didn't want to. He felt like he was falling apart. Like every mile between him and the church tore him into smaller pieces of himself. 

He was an idiot. He stayed quiet all these years and he decided to speak when Lance was minutes away from vows and an  _ I do?  _ But Lance…. Lance felt  _ something  _ for him too. It just wasn't enough anymore. 

Without meaning to, he found himself going down the path to his old shack near the Garrison. He used to go there when he was overwhelmed or struggling with PTSD or just having a hard time. At least until going to Lance's became a regular thing and Keith found his solace there. 

\---

There was a residual shakiness to his breaths. Enough to make Lance give him a strange look. With his family around them though, he didn't try to call attention to it. 

Once everyone busied themselves, Lance asked Keith to help him milk Kaltenecker. They walked to the shed where Kaltenecker slept in without saying anything. 

Keith pulled up a stool to sit with Lance, but Lance didn't sit down. 

"You okay, samurai?" Keith nodded, brushing it off. "You know you can trust me, right?" 

"Of course," Keith mumbled. 

Lance stood in front of him with his arms crossed. "Then tell me the truth. I can tell you're upset." 

Keith sighed and plopped down on the stool. He put his face in his hands and shook his head. "I just…. Today was a bad day. I don't know why, it just… a lot of things were messing with my head and I needed to let it out." 

Lance sat on the floor, wrapping his arms loosely around his knees. "With Shiro?" 

Keith shook his head. "Nah. Shiro's been busy with the baby. And I heard it's bad to cry around babies." 

"Where the hell-? Never mind. So who'd you go to?" 

"No one." Lance frowned. "Remember the shack? My shack? Where we took Shiro when we found him and I told you guys about Blue's energy?" Lance nodded slowly, almost suspicious. "I go there. It's isolated and I can panic and scream and cry all I want when I need to." He shrugged. "I was there for a few hours before I went home and Shiro told me you invited me over." 

There was no response for a long time. Keith cleared his throat awkwardly and forced himself not to glance over. If Lance had a look of pity in his face Keith might lose it entirely. 

"Keith." 

That wasn't pity. That was stern. That was almost angry. Keith looked at him and arched an eyebrow. 

"Don't go there anymore. Not alone. If you wanna go somewhere… come here. Man, we have a freaking cornfield and a bunch of fields and spaces to be isolated and screaming in. And I'm here. Veronica's here. We get it, we were there. Me especially." Keith grimaced and hesitated. It seemed to bother Lance. "Keith, buddy. Come on. You can't go to a shack in the middle of nowhere all alone to have a breakdown. Not when you have friends." 

Keith felt tears sting his eyes and he shook his head. "I don't wanna break down around anyone." 

"Well, asshole, I'm not 'anyone.' I'm Lance. Former paladin. Your friend." He placed a hand on Keith's arm. "And excellent hugger." Keith scoffed and rolled his eyes. "What you don't believe me? Come on, I'll show you." 

He stood up and yanked Keith to his feet. Keith couldn't even protest before Lance had encased him in a hug. 

He lived up to his title. Lance's hug was warm and comforting and firm. With the way Keith had been feeling that day, and after sobbing so much all by himself, he needed it more than he knew. 

Suddenly he was shaking, hiding his face in Lance's shoulder and clinging to his friend for stability. The tears returned full force and his pained cries muffled into Lance's shirt. 

He felt Lance's arms tighten around him, reassuring him. "I got you, man." 

That was all he said. No  _ it'll be okay. You're okay now. Calm down.  _ Just… just  _ I got you.  _

It was enough for Keith to let go and trust Lance more than he ever had before. He broke down completely and Lance never stopped hugging him, even when he sat him down. He rocked Keith back and forth on the floor of the shed with Kaltenecker watching them curiously. 

When Keith was all cried out, Lance pulled back and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Listen up, Mullet. Next time you feel like you need to let go…. Come here. I'll be here and we can cry together or I can just offer a hug. Plus, my mom makes the best comfort food." 

Keith let out a breathy laugh. Lance smiled at him. "Think we could get some? I'm kind of hungry." His voice was raspy and low. 

Lance just nodded and stood up to give Keith a hand up. 

\---

The shack was… disgusting to say the least. Keith hadn't been there in years, and it showed. 

Bugs crawled around the dirt floor, dust covered everything, and nothing looked safe to touch. Frustrated, Keith walked out and sat down on the ground in front of the door. 

"Good going, Keith," he muttered to himself. "You've ruined everything." 

He put his head in his hands and shook his head, yanking at his hair in frustration. Then he let himself break down like he used to when he used to go there. 

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he heard the engine of a car.

Keith cursed under his breath and turned his face away. He heard the door open and immediately called out, "I know it's private property, I was just leaving." 

"You're a shitty liar." 

Keith stood up and looked over at Shiro. “What are you doing here?” 

“Little birdy told me your hideaway spot.” Shiro walked toward him and looked at him with an expression Keith couldn’t fully decipher. Come on. Let’s sit in the car’s AC before we get heatstroke.” 

He tried to pull Keith along, but Keith stayed put. “I messed up, Shiro.” Shiro couldn’t deny it even if he wanted to. “I never knew it could hurt so much.” 

Shiro sighed and put his arm around him. “I know, Keith. But hey. You’re the strongest person I know. Now come on. Let me get you home so you can eat something and I can be sure you’re safe.” He led him to the car. As they drove away, silence filled the car. Keith felt exhausted in every way imaginable. He leaned his forehead against the window and shut his eyes as his head swarmed with memories he didn’t want to think about. 

Keith only noticed they weren’t anywhere near home when he opened his eyes to shift how he was sitting. And while it wasn’t the way home, it wasn’t unfamiliar. 

“Where are you going?” Keith asked, even though he knew the answer. Shiro only looked at him like he was an idiot. “Shiro, what the hell?” Despite Keith’s insistence, Shiro wouldn’t answer. Not until he’d pulled up to Lance’s house where Lance was pacing outside as Hunk and Pidge tried to talk him down. “Why are we here?” he asked in a tight voice.

Shiro turned the engine off. “He wanted to talk to you. And considering you decided to do the same ten minutes before he got married, I think it’s only fair you go.” Keith narrowed his eyes. Then he looked back at Lance who’d stopped pacing in favor of staring at their parked car. “He’s waiting on you, dumbass. Go.” 

Keith gulped and opened the door. Hunk and Pidge excused themselves and went into the house where Keith could hear some of Lance’s family talking. He walked toward Lance, feeling nervous and unsure. What could he possibly have to say anymore?

As he neared him, Lance held out a hand. “Walk with me?” Keith looked down at the hand extended at him. His left hand. There was no ring on his finger.

“I…. Okay.” He slipped his hand into Lance’s and fell in step with him. They walked quietly through the fields, down the familiar path to the tree they always sat under. “Where’s your ring?” Keith asked in a voice too small to be heard.

"You don’t get a ring when you call it off.” Keith’s gaze snapped back to him. He felt his breaths become short and fast. 

"What… what happened?" 

Lance took a deep breath and rocked back on the heels of his feet. "Well. First off this guy who wasn't invited showed up at my wedding. Then he decided to proclaim his love for me." 

"Lance." Keith couldn't handle jokes at the moment.

Lance's expression softened and he took Keith's hands. "I couldn't get married when I'd just turned away the person I love.”

"The person you…?" 

Lance scoffed and shook his head. "Don't act so surprised, Mullet. You're probably the only one who didn't know." He caressed Keith's cheek gently, and Keith closed his eyes at the feeling. 

His hands were warm. Soft. Gentle. And then Keith felt his lips. 

The feeling of them against his own was a shock, but Keith responded immediately. Like his body had been waiting for this moment to prove how well it fit with Lance's. 

Then Lance parted his lips and Keith felt his nerve endings spark. He wrapped his arms around Lance and deepened the kiss. A kiss that should have happened years ago. A kiss he'd been waiting for his entire life. 

It became desperate quickly. Years of repressed emotions and all the little moments they'd held back were taking their dues in this moment. Keith held him so close and tried stubbornly to pull him even closer. Lance's hands couldn't stop moving from Keith's face to his neck to his torso to his hands. 

Lance pulled back, eyes shut as he chuckled softly. "I can't believe it took me nearly getting married for you to tell me what you feel for me." 

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Lance. After everything, I just-" 

Lance shushed him gently, kissed him lightly.  "You know, I… I think the universe always meant for me to fall in love with you." 

To hear those words from his lips was ecstasy. Maybe it had been obvious and maybe everyone knew, but they didn't know what it felt like to hear it said. 

The bliss could only last so long though. There were still so many blanks, so many questions. Keith refused to pull away from Lance, but he spoke against his lips anyway. “What about everything you said about me leaving? What did your family say? Are you okay?” 

“Keith,” Lance chided with a small chuckle. He pulled away, holding Keith’s face between his hands. “It… it was a little messy. But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t promise to love someone who wasn’t you for the rest of my life. As for you leaving… I don’t know. Maybe we can figure something out. We can talk about it. Right now, though…. I just want to be in this moment with you. Okay?” 

Keith nodded, shutting his eyes as Lance leaned into him. “Could you say it again?” Lance hummed in question, and Keith brushed his thumb gently against his cheek. “Say it again so I can say it back, Lance.” 

“O-oh.” Lance chuckled softly, a beautiful little blush dusting his cheeks. He took a deep breath and looked Keith in the eyes. “I love you, Keith.” 

The hammering of his heart made Keith dizzy. He smiled at Lance and held back a nervous laugh. “I love you too,” he whispered back. Then he pulled him into another kiss. 

They stayed in each other’s arms under the tree for a long time. It was too surreal. Keith could have stayed there for the rest of his life and continued to think it was too good to be true. After all this time, were they truly…. Well, he wasn’t sure what they were, but he knew it was different and good. 

They only walked back because someone came out and yelled for Lance a few times. It sounded like Luis or Marco. They remained hand in hand. It was a different feeling. Much more certain than a nervous brush of fingers. 

It was Lance’s mom who decided to wait on them outside the house. Her eyes fixed on their interlocked hands for a second before looking at them both. There was a serene smile on her face.

“ _ Hola querido,”  _ she greeted him. “It’s been a very… intense day. Would you boys like to eat?” 

They nodded and went inside. No one made a direct comment, but it was clear in their faces when they looked at Keith and Lance. This was how things were supposed to be. 

***

A week and a half later, things were back to normal. Mostly. Several calls had to be made after the wedding was called off, and the presence of it was prominent in the house. The little wedding favors that had to get thrown out, the dresses and suits that had to get returned, the calls Lance and his family had to make to relatives. Keith tried to stay out of the way for the most part. 

But once it was all over, Keith and Lance were able to return to normal. No more tension bleeding into their conversations or awkward possible double-meanings. Instead, there was a heightened level of comfort and closeness. Everything felt the same as before when it came to how they interacted with Keith. Lance’s family continued to treat him as one of their own, Sylvio and Nadia returned to calling him  _ tio,  _ and he still had his own room. Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro teased them of course. At least at first. They liked to point out all the moments of the past when they could’ve cut the romantic tension between them with a butter knife, and all the things they’d say that were stupid in retrospect. But overall, they were happy for them, and before long, Keith and Lance being together was just a normal part of life. 

“I was thinking,” Lance said as they lounged on the grass with glasses of  _ limonada  _ after a skirmish of soccer with Nadia and Sylvio and the other aunts and uncles. “What if I went with you?” 

“Went with me where, love?” 

“Wherever you go when you lead the generals.” Keith frowned and sat up. Lance came up on his elbows. “What?” 

“You don’t want to leave your family anymore. I know you’re scared to go up there again, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to just to… to compromise or something.”

“ _ Mi amor,”  _ Lance said, a little frustrated. He sat up all the way to face Keith. “Yeah, I’m… I’m kind of scared. I don’t want to be gone for another three to six years. But you’ve been coming back and forth and there’s no war anymore. It would be okay. Besides, I don’t have to go each time…. I could go with you every now and then.” 

Keith frowned and reached forward to run his fingers through Lance’s hair. “Well… I could also leave for less. I don’t mind coming back and forth. I could limit it to a month or so at a time. That way I’m not gone for too long and… if you were to come with me sometimes you wouldn’t be either.” He pulled his hand back and ran his thumb along Lance’s lower lip. “I love you, you know? And even though I leave… I promise I’m not  _ leaving  _ you. I carry you everywhere I go. I think about you every time I’m gone. I will always, always come back to you.” 

Lance smiled and closed his eyes. “I love you too. More than you could possibly know.” He leaned in to kiss him lightly. “So… is that our compromise? You leave for less time and I go with you now and then?” 

Keith nodded. “Yeah. I think that would work.” 

A smile spread on Lance’s face, and he tackled Keith to the ground, kissing his face over and over between playful declarations of, “ _ Te amo, te amo, te amo!” _

Keith basked in the affection Lance gave him. It gave him a wonderful, elated feeling. He laughed and managed to return a few of the kisses. “ _ También te amo,”  _ he answered. 

Lance bit his lip, his eyes shining with unreserved joy. “Wanna know something?” Keith nodded slowly. “I'm glad our past was so complicated.” 

“What?” 

“Yeah. ‘Cause…. Well, in the past we were so messy and confusing and… a lot kept us apart. But now- right now- we're together. It feels stronger now, because it's like we fought for it. And I know that… well that we can have a future full of each other without being scared of getting pulled apart anymore.” Lance shrugged and rested his chin on Keith's chest. “If that's something you'd want.” 

Keith smiled and ran his hands through Lance's hair. “Of course I do. I would love for my future to be filled with you.” He smirked and sat up, causing Lance to sit up as well. “But what do you say to starting our future with a date first?” 

The smile on Lance's face was familiar in the most beautiful way. Goofy and bright and full of a happiness that felt contagious. “I'd like that.”

Keith smiled back just as widely and pressed another kiss to his lips. He looked forward to that future with Lance. But he loved experiencing each present moment and never wanted to forget a single one. 

 


End file.
